


Isolation

by CosmicCrunch



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Body Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fear Play, Horror, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Manipulation, Psychological Trauma, Slow Build, Tags May Change, Teeth, Tentacles, i've never written something like this i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:42:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27477490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicCrunch/pseuds/CosmicCrunch
Summary: Every expedition was a risk. Polus had warned its aspiring cosmonauts of this fact on the first day at the Mira Space Academy. Yes, the ships sometimes fell apart and sometimes the crewmates were actually an alien species bent on horrifically murdering their unsuspecting crewmen. It happened. But space needs to be explored at any cost.Lucas (soon-to-be Yellow) is a new graduate of the Mira Space Academy. On his first mission, he thinks he's prepared for everything. But when he stumbles across the first dead body in Security, he realizes he's not prepared to survive the imposters that want to kill them all.
Relationships: Crewmate/Crewmate (Among Us), Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us), Purple/Yellow (Among Us), Red/Yellow (Among Us)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Graduation Day

Every expedition was a risk. Polus had warned its aspiring cosmonauts of this fact on the first day at the Mira Space Academy. The unknown was just that-- unknown. Humans couldn't be expected to be the only form of intelligent life in the universe. That, the instructors had insisted, almost laughing at the thought, was a statistical and chemical improbability. Life existed. Whether or not it was benevolent was another question altogether. 

The first ship to be attacked was for cargo. It could have been pirates. But communication reports indicated that two crewmates had turned on their ship, sabotaging the vital systems and killing their fellow crewmen one by one. Whispers of the imposters that posed as crewmates, indistinguishable from their human counterparts, trickled through the pipeworks as more and more ships suffered similar fates. Sometimes an attacked ship would reach its destination, the surviving crewmates glassy-eyed and numb, rambling about betrayal, teeth, and ejections. After the fifth ship suffered the same fate, Polus came to a conclusion. The imposters were real. 

But, as Polus liked to repeat, every expedition was a risk. The space program wouldn't stop because of a low-percent chance that every member of a ship's crew would be horrifically murdered. There were enough people willing to take the risk-- all for the chance to float among the stars.

_______________________

He signed himself away when he was 17. The ever-smiling recruitment officers had driven to Lucas' shambling city in gleaming cars, offering an escape from the cycle that trapped everyone in Gellia. _Would you rather sell second-hand weaponry like every generation of your family, or would you like to make a name for yourself?_ they had asked him, offering pinched eyes filled with pity. _If you join the Mira Space Academy, your future is as endless as the stars._

Lucas didn't see many stars. The thick dust that hung like fog dampened the night sky in Gellia, making the pinpricks of light that did poke through seem like torn holes in a dark cloth. He wondered how many more stars there could be. The recruitment wanted him to do the right thing. Sign on the dotted line and get an almost-free scholarship to the Mira Space Academy. When he had given pause, raised a note of concern on whether he would ever return home, the officers had laughed. Would he rather live and die poor on Gellia? They were offering an opportunity, they said, and it would be foolish to say no. All he had to do was accept the hand that offered an escape. So he did. Within a day of the officers' arrival, Lucas left his home with more than half of his old schoolmates. 

The galaxies and swirls of space dust he saw on the first night from home made the choice seem worth it.

_______________________

"So, what colour are you gonna choose?" Evie asked when Lucas walked into the men's bunks. She lay down with her head facing the door, sprawled out on Lucas' bottom bunk. Her pretty face was pushed together by the fists that held her head up. 

"You're not supposed to be in here," he said, shrugging off his jacket. Evie ducked as he pitched it on his bunk, the MSA stitching on the back staring at him as he threw it. Her hands flew up to her head. 

"Watch the hair! I got it done for the ceremony." She cupped her palms around the crown of her head, dark fingers dancing over the purple-threaded braids. "And they're not gonna kick me out for being in the men's barracks when I literally graduate tomorrow."

Lucas hummed, pushing Evie's legs aside to settle on the opposite end of the bed. After two years, he still wondered where she found the vanilla that she smelled so deeply of. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her shift to a sitting position as he leaned over to untie his laces. "Yellow."

"Aw, like your hair?" Evie grinned, her white teeth gleaming pearls against her brown skin. She reached out a hand to thread her fingers through Lucas' loose curls. 

Shoes untied, he toed them off and brought his hand up to cover Evie's, running a finger across the back. He turned his head, careful to not discourage Evie's touch, and smiled softly. "Well, I wouldn't say my hair's that bright, but sure. Like my hair." He pointed to one of her braids. "Guessing purple for you?"

She pulled her hand back to touch her braids, twisting them between her fingers. She grinned at them. "I thought I was gonna choose white, you know, to match my last name, but purple looks better in my hair."

Chuckling, Lucas leaned in, bumping his shoulder against hers. "You'd look beautiful in any colour."

She rolled her eyes, shoving him. "You're just trying to get on the same mission as me."

"Aren't you?"

"Maybe I'll change my mind. I mean, yellow doesn't really match with purple, does it?" she teased, pushing herself back to lie down behind Lucas. She was warm against his back, her fingers tracing the curve of his spine. He shivered at the touch, arching his back and inhaling sharp and low. He nudged her hand away before moving to settle down beside her. The bunk creaked as he spread himself out. She'd taken his pillow again. He made the futile effort to take back half. The perks of being a similar build to Evie, he supposed, was that they could fit like this on his bunk. He had certainly seen it be a problem for his fellow recruits whenever they had snuck their girlfriends (or boyfriends) into their bed. Evie's doe-brown eyes twinkled as she scanned his face. 

Lucas tilted his head to look back, stretching out his long legs. "Well, that's too bad. I guess I'll have to find somebody that matches."

She twisted her face up, biting her bottom lip and looking up at an unknown point. She nodded to herself. "I mean, they match enough. I guess we can go on the same mission."

"Yeah?" His lip quirked upwards. "Good, 'cause I won't go without you."

Evie smiled, curling up beside Lucas. "Me neither."  
_______________________

The ceremony was brief. Not much more than a handshake and badge pinned to the suit of their chosen colour. There wasn't the budget for much pomp and circumstance, Lucas supposed, given that there seemed to be a graduating class every other week. Once he and Evie had crossed the stage, listening to the Dean's speech on what it meant to be a member of Polus-- the best space exploration program in the known universe--and how their expeditions would usher mankind into the next generation of interstellar travel, the couple went to their old instructor to receive their first mission. She was set up at a flimsy table at the edge of the Academy's courtyard.

Though it was hard to see her through her green helmet's visor, their instructor smiled as she watched them approach. "Congratulations, you two. You've made Mira Space Academy very proud today."

"Thank you," Evie said, adjusting her purple helmet. Lucas nodded in agreement.

Shuffling her thick-gloved fingers through the stack of assignments, she pulled out their papers with a soft 'aha'. She extended the stiff sheets towards them. "Seems you're both on the same expedition. You'll be on the Skeld."

Lucas stole a glance at Evie, trying to find her face behind her visor. Only her teeth were visible behind the dark plate. "Great," he said, taking their papers. 

"Make Polus proud," she replied before waving a hand to gesture them away, already looking around them at the next graduate. 

Taking that as a cue to leave, Lucas nodded again and took Evie's hand. It was weird not feeling her skin against his. The suits were comfortable, sure, but it was almost isolating. "We should probably find our crew."

"Lead the way, Mr. Graduate."

It took some time to find the launch bay and even more time to find the beaten-down ship that would be their new home come tomorrow morning. The exterior of the Skeld was scratched, slapped with hopeful dashes of red and black paint, and in dire need of new landing struts. A number of Polus cosmonauts stood by the sorry excuse of a spaceship in a loose semi-circle, talking amongst themselves. Drawing in a breath of the sterile air that filtered through his suit, Lucas nodded in their direction. Evie, walking just a hair faster, tugged on his arm as they made their way over. The green and white crewmates glanced up from their conversation when they saw the two approaching. Though their faces were barely visible, Lucas could them eyeing him and Evie up and down.

"Fresh meat, huh?" asked a gravelly voice from inside the green suit. He sounded almost disappointed.

Evie extended out a hand. "Just graduated. I'm Evie."

The man tilted his head, cautiously reaching out to shake her hand. "They never tell you not to share your name?"

Evie mimicked his posture, stiffening. "What?"

The girl in the white suit laughed, a clear, kind-hearted giggle. "Crewmates go by colour. Polus thought it'd be a good safety measure if we kept our names secret."

"Why?" Lucas asked. He placed a hand on the small of Evie's back, leaning in a little closer. 

The other six crewmates had stopped talking now, their attention drawn to the newcomers. Judging by the shaking of their shoulders, Lucas thought Black and Brown might have been stifling laughter. White, which Lucas supposed was now the name he had to call her, tsked. "What the hell are they teaching newbies nowadays? It's part of the Imposter Protection Protocol."

"Imposter can't pretend to be a crewmate if they don't know their own name," Cyan cut in. He was a mountain of a man, towering over even the second tallest by at least three inches. If the light in the launch bay hadn't been the same sickening fluorescents that hung in the barracks, Lucas was sure he would been enveloped by the man's shadow. "Hell, I've been on a dozen missions with Green and all I know about him is that he eats rocks for breakfast."

"Ah, get fucked," Green replied, reaching over to slap Cyan on the back. He nodded back at Lucas and Evie, who now found themselves at the center of a new semi-circle. "Don't worry about it. You're Purple. He's Yellow. We man our stations, do our tasks, and Polus gives us a shiny gold star at the end. Nothing to it."

Pink, Blue, and White nodded in unison. Lucas let this idea hang in the air. Imposter Protection training had been months ago. He'd read the reports, studied the recordings, and crammed for the final exam. _What type of creature is the Imposter? Is it a) A parasite, b) Not a creature, but the result of space madness, or c) A carbon-based lifeform with the ability to changes states of being?_ The answer had been "B", hadn't it? And only six ships in the past ten years had been reported to have Imposters aboard. That was what the Academy had taught them. Slowly, he nodded back.

"Well, she knows my name. Will that be an issue?" he asked, bumping shoulders with Evie. 

"Oh no, it should be fine," Pink said cheerfully. "Just don't tell us!"

"We'll be sure to remember that," Lucas said, forcing out a tight laugh. Remembering the papers he still held in his left hand, he raised them and scanned the page. While it offered the length of the expedition (two months) and the crewmates that would be onboard the Skeld (Cyan, Brown, Pink, Green, White, Black, Blue, Red, Purple and Yellow), he started at the blank section that appeared after the phrase _Mission Statement._ He wiggled the papers near his face. "Does anyone have the mission statement?"

"Lot of 'em are blank," Brown replied, shrugging. "It's probably just cargo to take to a Polus outpost. Some food, building materials, the works."

Evie took the papers from Lucas' grasp and read through the assignment, her finger tracing under each line of information. Her finger ended its journey over the Polus' official seal. "None of our sample pages ever have had a blank mission statement," she mused, her hand going up unconsciously to tug her braid before knocking against her helmet. 

"You'll have to get used to it." Brown's shoulders raised again. "Polus ain't as polished as the Academy would like you to believe."

"I got confused on my first mission too," Blue admitted, his soft voice giving away his age. He couldn't have been much older than Lucas. Maybe 20 or 21. It was almost reassuring.

Cyan laughed. He clapped a mitt on Blue's shoulder. "You mean your last mission."

The attention shifting away from Evie and Lucas, new conversations erupted among the crewmates. Blue puffed up his chest as he sent back a clever retort to Cyan. Black and Brown returned to their conversation about the food quality when on mission. It seemed the spaghetti was one of the few good meals they could look forward to. White, Green, and Pink discussed the results of the last mission, of which all three had been a part of. They kept their bodies turned toward Lucas and Evie. Offering the option to listen to their stories while still deciding that the newest recruits had run out of interesting things to say. Lucas and Evie turned to share a glance. Lucas wished he could read her expression from behind her face shield. They were just about to turn and leave, maybe spend a final night alone before they found themselves among a ten-man crew for the next two months, when someone reached out and tapped Lucas' shoulder. He looked up, swiveling to find the source of the touch. 

Red, who had said nothing since the couple arrived, raised a hand in greeting. "Since nobody said it, welcome to the crew. It should be an easy mission."

He was a tall man with broad shoulders and would have been stocky if it weren't for his height. Although he shouldn't have been able to see it so well, Lucas caught the twinkle in Red's eyes, alert and curious. He might have been smiling, but his mouth hid behind the curls of a beard. Lucas froze under Red's stare and probably would have remained petrified if Evie hadn't bumped his shoulder on her way to shaking Red's hand. The moment Red shifted his attention away, the growing tension in Lucas' shoulders melted away. 

"It's nice to meet you," Evie said, clasping Red's hand. 

"Likewise." He released her hand and reached for Lucas'. Blinking as if waking from a trance, Lucas accepted Red's gesture, trying to focus his eyes on his own reflection in Red's helmet. He didn't look past it. He didn't try to see into the black mirror, into the face staring behind the shield. And if the handshake lasted just a few seconds too long, well, he refused to acknowledge it. "I'd suggest getting a good night's sleep. You won't believe me, but the beds at the Academy are much softer than the ones on the Skeld."

"Didn't even think that was possible," Evie said, a giggle erupting from the back of her throat. 

"Guess you'll have to see it to believe it," he said. 

She giggled again. "I guess I will."

"And since he didn't tell you, you'll be reporting to Captain Green over there." Red jerked his head towards the chattering clique. "He's a nice guy, though I'd like to think I'm nicer."

"Yeah?" Evie said, a smile evident in her voice. 

If another crewmate had glanced over then, Lucas figured they would have mistaken Evie's giggles for flirting. Maybe that should have bothered him. But Evie was Evie and Red was charming. He couldn't deny that. As they shared their roles on the ship (Red was apparently the Safety Officer, which meant he far outranked he and Evie), Lucas studied the side of Red's helmet. It was free of scratches and freshly-polished. Perfectly up to code. His mind still flickered back to the discussion of Imposters. If Imposters were a result of space madness, he wondered for a moment where the risk of names came in. Surely a few months aboard a ship couldn't make you forget your own name?

Before he could think too hard on it, Evie was shaking his arm. The crewmates were dispersing. The meet-the-crew party appeared to be winding down. Lucas offered a wave goodbye to his new crew as they scattered off in different directions. Where did Polus cosmonauts sleep when they weren't on missions? Were there separate barracks just off the Academy property? Maybe he could ask tomorrow morning after departure. It would be good to know once they finish the mission and he and Evie were fully-fledged members of Polus. He and Evie returned to the student lodgings for the last time. In the morning, their whole world would change.

They spent the night in each other's arms, reading and rereading any and all information they could find on the Skeld, the tasks they would have to perform, and the Imposter Protection Protocol.  
_______________________

The ship was fueled and loaded early the next morning. The crewmates laughed and told jokes, taking the piss out of the assortment of hats they'd found in one of the shipping containers, as they bustled about the launch bay. Evie settled herself alongside the company of Pink and White, finding common ground on their struggles to swipe their identification cards in Admin. Lucas smiled when he heard her laugh. Despite his initial apprehensions about the crew, that laugh told him that they would okay. Together, he and the crew of the Skeld would complete their mission.

They would be among the stars.


	2. Assigning Tasks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew receives their tasks. Lucas is uncomfortable.

They weren't supposed to get close with the crew. They could be friendly, sure, but Green made it clear in his opening speech that camaraderie was strictly against Polus guidelines. Personal information stayed personal. At least Lucas could reconcile this speech with what he had learned at the Academy. It was important to stay focused, they had said. And no cosmonaut was guaranteed the same crew for every mission. It was best not to form attachments. 

Evie didn't count, of course. He couldn't distance himself from her any more than he could distance himself from his right arm. 

The new crew of the Skeld sat around the center table in the Cafeteria. It was a tight squeeze with ten crewmates, their knees knocking against one another. Lucas tried to be courteous, keeping his legs together. His seat neighbours, Blue and Red, tried their best to follow suit. 

But not all the crew was as polite. Brown leaned back in his chair, his stance wide, silently forcing White and Evie on either side to make themselves smaller to compensate. He was fiddling with his helmet, adjusting its position on his head and testing the buttons that dealt with personal comms and visor lights. As Green spoke, Lucas stared across at Brown, at the bored fingers that drummed the dark polycarbonate. Lucas wondered how many missions someone had to go on to be so lax when the captain spoke. 

"And, Black, Pink, I know you've received pilot training, but we're on a pre-set course. So you'll both be on other navigational duties," Green said, pointing at the Navigation area on the Skeld's map. The holographic map flickered in the center of the table, the projector shaking as the crew fidgeted in their seats. Lucas followed the gloved-finger, straightening to get a better look. 

It looked like a three-dimensional version of the map he and Evie had reviewed the night before. Rather than casting a top-down perspective, the map lit the pathway from the Cafeteria to Navigation with a red string, dragging the viewer along the halls of the ship. Go right from Cafeteria, down through Weapons, left at O2, and then past the security camera into Navigation. A simple trip. Lucas went back to watching Brown.

Black raised a thumbs-up at the same time that Pink said, "Of course, Captain."

Green continued doling out tasks, complaining that Polus had given them the worst ship in the fleet ("Even though I've been Captain for three years," he was quick to add), and that it would need a little love and a hell of a lot of work to take them to the Outpost on time. But they could do it, he assured. 

"Cyan, you got wiring. Make use of that tetrachromacy, eh? Get 'em right," Green said. He pointed to Cyan before going back to his task list. Lucas frowned. Was that something he was supposed to have learned at the Academy? Had he already failed his crew?

Maybe something in his posture noted his confusion because Red leaned in from Lucas' right side, their shoulders brushing, and said, "That just means he sees colours better."

Although everyone definitely heard Red's explanation over the comms system, only Cyan looked their way, giving a nod of encouragement. Lucas' cheeks burned. His shoulders tightened, recoiling from the gentle pressure of his neighbour's touch. His voice was soft. "Thanks."

Green continued, pretending as though he definitely had everyone's full attention. "Red, you're on anything that could kill us if we fuck up. Reactor, O2, whatever else you can think of. If you get bored, rearrange the cargo so it doesn't fall over and kill somebody."

Red nodded, his movement somehow translating into a light shoulder nudge as he straightened in his seat. "Dying's not good. Got it."

Someone laughed through their nose, the exhale of air tickling the speakers. Although nobody's body language indicated amusement, the stifled laugh was familiar. Lucas stole a glance at Evie, whose focus was trained on Green. If she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye, he had no way of knowing. He clenched his fist under the table. The captain provided White and Blue their assignments (trash removal and ship maintenance), reminded Brown that engine calibrations were not a "stupid job", and nodded towards Lucas and then towards Evie. "Mira's giving medical training now, right?"

"Yes, sir," Evie said, pulling her hands into her lap. She sat expectantly.

"Great," he said, pointing towards the map at the room to the left of Cafeteria. The red string pulled them towards a room with beds and a bio-scanner. "You and Yellow are covering Med Bay. Polus gave us samples to run as a little treat. You'll study the lab samples and help the crew in your off-time. Best way to learn the role of a Polus crewmate is to do all the tasks."

Gesturing to the rest of the crew, he added, "If you need an extra hand, call Purple or Yellow. Newbies need training."

They all nodded, a series of Yes, Captains bubbling to the surface of the silence. Green nodded. He waved a hand, making the hologram shudder-- its blue tones shaking in the air-- before it switched off. Brown coughed. It was obviously fake. "So we good to go?"

Green sighed, shaking his head. "You're all dismissed. Report back to the Cafeteria at Oh Seven Hundred for dinner. Or don't. Just don't eat in your bunks because that's fucking disgusting." When nobody made a move to stand, he waved his hands out from his chest. "Well, go. Tasks don't get done by sitting around."

The crew stood, pushing back their chairs and stretching, popping out stiff joints. One by one, they dispersed, heading off down dimly lit halls. Evie walked around the table to Lucas, reaching out to take his hand. She squeezed it. "Are you okay?"

Lucas' brows pinched together. "Yeah, wouldn't I be?"

She shrugged, leading him down towards Med Bay. "You just don't seem as excited as you were yesterday. And I, like, get that this is a new thing and new things always make you a little crazy, but I just wanna, you know, check in?"

They stopped at the entrance, peering into the bright, sterile space. In the light, he could almost make out her eyes and nose. He squeezed her hand back. "Just don't want to mess up, you know?"

Evie scoffed, dropping his hand to run her fingers across the gleaming tabletops. Despite the apparent crappiness of the rest of the Skeld, the Med Bay didn't look too bad. It might have even been clean. She pulled her tablet off her belt, swiping past the top-down version of the Skeld's map, and looked through Med Bay tasks, dragging her finger across each line. She was whispering under her breath. He could hear it crackle in his helmet. Her voice was firm. "You won't mess up. I'm not gonna let you. Could you grab the phenolphthalein, please?"

"The what?"

"On the top shelf, far left. Should be a pink bottle."

"What's it for?" Lucas asked, peeking at the cabinets bolted to the wall above the side tables. He peered through the windows, straining to see a pink bottle. It was small and tucked into the corner of the uppermost shelf. Evie answered as he swung the cabinet door open.

"Polus left soil samples from a new planet to study. We're checking the acidity."

Lucas nodded, pulling the bottle down. It was lighter than he thought it'd be. "My chemistry's not great. Don't we need more than this?"

"I think we have great chemistry," Evie retorted, giggling to herself. "No, everything else is already over here. Come on. I'll show you how you're not gonna mess up."

There was little talking after that. They fell into a rhythm, recording reactions and comparing the information with what Polus had already gathered. The Med Bay was large enough to avoid the ever-classic falls or breaking of vials, which was a nice change from the closet-space that Mira had provided for lab studies. Hours passed in comfortable silence. Occasionally, a crewmate popped in to provide a BioScan or ask for a spare hand to hold a wrench. The atmosphere was more relaxed than it had been at the mission briefing. It was almost friendly. 

After they had completed tasks for the day, Lucas and Evie went to the Cafeteria for their meals. They unclasped their helmets, the pressure hissing as it escaped, and set it beside them on the table. Evie's upper lip shined with sweat. She wiped it off with the back of her hand, her eyes crinkling as she grinned. Lucas couldn't help but smile back. It was nice to see her face again, even if it was because they had to choke down a bland, colourless meal. Black and Brown had been right yesterday. The food was low-grade quality at best. At its worst, it was freeze-dried puke. 

When they were about half-way through their meal, someone behind Lucas cleared their throat. He looked up, twisting his neck to look behind him. Red stood with a tray in hand, his visor dark. "Mind if I join you two?"

Lucas opened his mouth to speak. Evie beat him to it. "Yeah, of course!"

Red looked at Lucas for confirmation. He tilted his head slightly. Lucas swallowed a lump in his throat that may or may not have been from the food. "Uh, yeah, sounds good."

He nodded, setting his tray beside Lucas' and pulling back a metal chair. Those chairs should be bolted down, Lucas thought. It seemed horribly unsafe to have loose furniture on a ship traveling God knows how fast. Red offered slightly more space between them than they had been afforded at the briefing. He brought his hands up to his helmet, depressurizing the inside. He pulled it off slowly, as if he knew that Lucas was unwittingly holding his breath. 

The first thing he noticed a full, auburn beard. And then the rest of his face. His nose was straight with a slight bump along the slope and his eyes were upturned, as though he was laughing at an unspoken joke. Although it was hard to tell, he might have been in his early thirties. Unlike Evie and Lucas, his face and hair were dry. No hint of sweat glistened on his, unfortunately, handsome face. He smiled as he set his helmet down, running a hand through his messy hair. "Thanks. How's the first day been? I know we got off to a late start."

Evie leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand, the corners of her lips turned upward. She twisted the fork around her tray. "No messing up yet. I think if we can keep it like that we'll be okay."

Red chuckled. "That's always the plan, isn't it? Same for you, Yellow?"

Lucas blinked. He hadn't been aware that he was staring. "Um, I think so. Thanks for explaining what tetr... trache... uh, whatever that thing Green said Cyan had."

Popping a piece of loaf in his mouth, Red nodded. He grimaced at his plate. "Tetrachromacy. Don't worry about it. Green likes to throw in big words to make himself sound smart. It gets a little annoying, but I'm happy to be your translator."

Looking back down at his half-eaten loaf. His stomach turned just looking at it. He forced himself to smile. "Lucky me."

"Lucky both of you," Red said, continuing to force down bites. He pointed his fork at Evie. "I like newbies. You haven't gotten cocky yet, so we get to be nice to each other. It's a nice change of pace from the crewmates that think they know everything."

"Like Brown?" Evie asked, keeping her voice low. His eyes were wide and doe-like. Brown wasn't in the Cafeteria. He had taken his dinner away about a half hour ago, no doubt to eat in his bunk. 

"Well, let's not point fingers," he said with a soft laugh. He raised his gaze to Evie, cocking his head. A smile teased the edges of his lips. "I'm sure he does his tasks."

Evie giggled, taking her hand away to look down. She stabbed her loaf, tearing off a chunk. Lucas crammed the food into his mouth despite the way it made him gag, focusing on his chewing. He kept his attention away from Evie and Red, finding the upload panels suddenly very interesting. The conversation died down as they all returned to their meals. Red's knee brushed against Lucas'. Lucas ate faster. Red and Evie had returned to idle conversation by the time Lucas choked through the last bite. He stood up abruptly, hands planted down on the table. The others glanced up, including Cyan and Green, who had been bantering at another table. Lucas waved a nervous hand.

"Okay?" Evie asked, her hand reaching up to twist a purple-threaded braid. 

"Yeah, yeah," Lucas said, shaking his head. _Fuck, what was wrong with him?_ "Sorry, didn't mean to stand up like that. I'm gonna go to my bunk, I think."

Red nodded, eyeing Lucas up and down. His black eyes glinted under the lights. "Don't forget your helmet. Polus policy wants us to wear it whenever we're not eating or sleeping."

He couldn't seem to get the helmet on fast enough. His helmet hissed with clean air and darkened his vision as he peered through the visor. Evie's face was still pinched in concern. He walked around the table to place a hand on her shoulder. "I'm alright. Sleep well, okay?"

She covered his hand with hers. She looked up at him, smiling at her own reflection. "You're not the captain," she teased. "I'll have a shitty sleep if I want to."

"Whatever you think is best," Lucas replied, the corner of his lip tugging upward. He glanced up at Red, who was watching them as he continued to eat. Although his face wore an expression of concern, Lucas thought there might have been curiosity lingering underneath. He extended a hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, Red?"

The mask of concern dropped. His disarming smile was back as he reached out to shake Lucas' hand. It was oddly warm between the layers of kevlar and polyester. "Tomorrow. If you aren't too tired, I'll show you how to maintain and fix the life support. Always good to know."

"Sounds good. Thanks," Lucas said, feeling Red squeeze his hand before releasing. It could have been meant to be reassuring. Lucas couldn't be sure. He hesitated for a moment before leaving. Evie hadn't been out of his sight-- or vice-versa-- since they had taken off. But he was being silly. She was safe on the ship, regardless of whether or not he was there with her. 

He left the Cafeteria and headed towards the cargo bay. His feet echoed against the hollow metal flooring. He would go to his bunk soon. He passed the stack of crates in the center of Storage, stopping at the wide bay windows at the back of the room. Settling himself cross-legged on the floor, he peered off into the dark. Stars glittered in the distance, as small as snowflakes. On Gellia, he had been lucky to see three or four stars on a clear night. But as he looked out into the vast vacuum, he saw more stars than people on his home planet. Back home, he had outnumbered the stars. And now, they outnumbered him.

It was quiet. Space was quiet. It was what he had loved the most about joining Mira Space Academy. On Gellia, people screamed and cried and laughed every second. There was never silence. The first time he had seen the stars up close had been the first completely silent moment of his life. He sat with his arms wrapped around his knees, watching the stars go by. Each one the center of a solar system that Polus vowed to discover. He wasn't going to fuck this up. He was going to be the best crewmate Polus had ever seen. 

And he was going to do it all because if he didn't... what was the point of being here at all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lot of build-up bc my writing is bloated. :) There'll be death one day, I'm sure. Maybe even next chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! First crack at writing something fanfic-y in a few years, so I hope it holds up okay! The game is a lot of fun and I've kind of made it an AU for some of my own OCs. I did a bit of a vignette style to get the story going, but I don't believe I'll be continuing that going forward. :) Oh, and dialogue is a lot of fun for me, so you'll probably see a lot of it.


End file.
